BOOK 4 of the ORPHIC Series
DISENTHRALL
/ˌdisənˈTHrôl/
set free.
~~~~~
When Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker starts adjusting to a world without Captain America and more government therapy sessions...
T H E F A L C O N A N D T H E W I N T E R S O L D I E R
21
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I've always liked tomorrows. You haven't made any mistakes yet in tomorrows."
Madripoor, Indonesia July, 2024
"WHAT? NO, NO THAT IS not why I called you here. I already told you I am not returning the books I took until I found what I needed."
"Well, I have found what she needs, which is exactly what you needed. Your threats can only go so far, Mr. Schaffer. I am taking these whether you agree to it or not."
"I could kill you, if I wanted."
"Not exactly."
Lucy's head was pounding, like her brain was slamming against her skull, trying to escape the confines of bone and blood. She groaned, her body aching all over, like she'd rolled around in glass and fell off a cliff. Okay, maybe that was a little more extreme than she meant it to be.
She felt around her, fingers curling into bed sheets. She frowned, struggling to open her eyes. It took her a long minute, before her eyes fluttered open. She squinted at the dim light above her, then at the blanket pulled up to her chest. She painstakingly pushed herself up onto her elbows. She trembled, her hands unresponsive but her arms still somewhat available.
She turned her head to the side, blinking harshly as she watched Jack carefully turn a page to a thin book he was reading. It had some philosophy bullshit on the cover, but she didn't have enough energy to care. She let herself fall back onto her pillows, teeth gritting with the impact.
Her eyes wandered to the otherside, only to see that a white curtain was drawn around them. She looked back at Jack's side, to see other hospital beds lined up. There were heart monitors beeping, IV's hanging. Soft laughter echoed further away, injured individuals talking with each other.
She guessed what she asked wasn't fair.
Henry had changed–
"Lucy."
She blinked, eyes flicking to Jack's face.
He was looking at her, book shut in his lap.
"Hey." Her voice cracked against her throat and she winced. "How are you feeling?"
Jack's lips twitched upwards, amused.
"I think I should be asking you that." He replied, his voice gentle. "You don't seem so. . .well."
